One of the best parts of travel is exploring the local food culture, and you should not miss the opportunity to do so in your snowbird location. Tap into regional specialties and soon you will be enjoying the best your winter escape has to offer.
1. Discover the restaurants that locals frequent.
When you first arrive at your destination, chat with the locals and returning snowbirds to find the best restaurants that serve the culinary specialties of the region. Find out what is in season and have fun tasting regional ethnic dishes, if available.
If you are staying on the Florida coast, try some conch and grunt fish. Parked in sunny Arizona? Discover the many drinks and dishes that can be made with the Saguaro and Prickly Pear cacti.
2. Shop at the local farm markets.
One of the benefits to heading south for the winter is the abundance of available produce even during the winter months. Once you have tasted dishes from local restaurants and cafes, track down those same flavors at nearby farm markets.
Many towns host midweek markets that focus on fresh produce. Saturday markets tend to offer specialty prepared foods as well, such as breads and cheeses from local artisans. Localharvest.org is one of the best online resources for tracking down a farmer’s market no matter where you are in the United States.
Two senior couples eating breakfast outdoors
3. Take advantage of your RV kitchen.
Once you have tasted the regional flavors around your snowbird destination and shopped for fresh, in-season ingredients, use your RV kitchen to prepare your favorite dishes. Learn how to grill fresh fish from the seafood market or incorporate the Mexican spices found in southwestern dishes. Mix passion fruit cosmopolitans and prickly pear margaritas to perfection.
One of the greatest benefits to exploring the culinary culture of your winter retreat is taking those dishes back up north. Preparing a conch linguine fra diavolo will take you back to those beautiful Florida evenings that you probably miss so much.